“I always said that I never qualified myself as a goal scorer,” Moreno said. “I’m in this position with the record because of the many years I’ve played in this league and also because I did score some important goals in my career.”

Moreno has scored 112 goals in 12 seasons and is considered one of the greatest players in the league.

“I can see why he said that, because of the way he plays the game in his selfless manner,” said midfielder Ben Olsen, who Moreno’s teammate since 1998. “He’s not a guy who’s just poaching and just sitting in the box. He’s not a [Luciano] Emilio or Roy Lassiter-type player, or Ante Razov. He’s a playmaker and a beautiful soccer player.”

Moreno may have to fight to hold onto his record, however. Razov, the Chivas USA striker, trails Moreno with 109 goals. Razov, who this season has notched 11 goals in 24 games, has four games left to add to his tally. But Moreno is not too concerned.

“I want to keep scoring goals, don’t get me wrong, but if [Razov] does get past me it’s because he’s done well and deserves to be there,” Moreno said.

Entering last night’s match against the Kansas City Wizards, Moreno — who was questionable with an ankle injury — had scored seven goals in 19 games this season. United had three games left in the regular season.

United president Kevin Payne, who in August 1996 brought Moreno to the District from English club Middlesbrough, agrees that Moreno is more than just a goal scorer.

“He’s so involved in the game in so many parts of the field,” Payne said. “Real goal scorers hang around the box — that’s where they play their game, Jaime helps us in the midfield and helps the other guys who are trying to score goals.”

And if Razov does take the record it takes nothing away from Moreno, Payne believes.

“That record is not really the measure of Jaime Moreno,” he said. “Ante Razov is a great player and has had a great career, but Jaime Moreno is the best player in the history of this league. The goals are just the icing on the cake, for everything else Jaime has given to this team.”

Freedom returns — The Washington Freedom will play in the new women’s professional league set to start in 2009, with Jim Gabarra as the coach. Media mogul John Hendricks will serve the chairman of the club, with Joe Quinn as president and Louise Waxler as director of operations.

Corner kicks — American DaMarcus Beasley had a goal and an assist as Glasgow Rangers won 3-0 at French Champion Lyon in the Champions League this week …

David Beckham returned to training with the Los Angeles Galaxy this week for the first time since injuring his knee on Aug. 29.